Kazakhstan is in talks with foreign airlines to find a compromise after a cool response to its request to switch routes to its new capital Astana from the biggest city Almaty by September 1, the transport minister said on Wednesday.

The Central Asian country moved its capital from commercial hub Almaty near the Chinese border to Astana, in the middle of the northern steppe, in 1997.

"There will be a compromise," said Transport Minister Kazhmurat Nagmanov. "It's impossible to do what they (airlines) want: not to fly to Astana," he said. "It can't happen."

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Some market players have questioned the government's order to switch flights, saying it would not be commercially viable